Conventionally, as an ink supply device for supplying ink to a recording head for discharging ink in an inkjet printer, one provided with a replaceable ink container that is a container for storing ink and being replaceable, and a needle to be inserted into the replaceable ink container to take out the ink from the replaceable ink container is known (Patent Document 1). This replaceable ink container is provided with an opening plug formed of an elastic member such as rubber for plugging an insertion opening to which the needle is to be inserted. With this opening plug being penetrated by the needle, the ink inside the replaceable ink container is taken out to the outside of the replaceable ink container through a passage provided in the needle.
In the meantime, in an inkjet printer with a relatively large consumption amount of ink, that is, in a wide-format inkjet printer with a relatively large printable image size, or in an inkjet printer with relatively fast printing speed, replaceable ink containers are being provided with larger capacities.
Here, in a conventional ink supply device that is provided with a replaceable ink container including an opening plug made of an elastic member and a needle to be inserted into the opening plug, if the needle for taking out the ink inside the replaceable ink container to the outside of the replaceable ink container is thin, a passage provided in the needle becomes narrow accordingly, so that there is a problem that it becomes difficult to supply the ink at a large flow rate from the replaceable ink container. On the other hand, in the conventional ink supply device provided with the replaceable ink container including the opening plug made of the elastic member and the needle to be inserted into the opening plug, if the needle is made larger for supplying the ink at a large flow rate from the replaceable ink container, when the needle is pulled out from the replaceable ink container due to reasons such as changing the ink type and the like in a state where ink still remains in the replaceable ink container, there is a problem that the ink inside the replaceable ink container may possibly leak out to the outside of the replaceable ink container through a hole opened in the opening plug by the needle.
Since there are problems as above, the conventional ink supply device provided with the replaceable ink container including the opening plug made of the elastic member and the needle to be inserted into the opening plug is not suited for making the replaceable ink container have a large capacity.
Conventionally, as an ink supply device provided with a replaceable ink container with a large capacity, one provide with a male connector to be inserted to the replaceable ink container for taking out the ink from the replaceable ink container is known. The replaceable ink container of this ink supply device is provided with an opening plug for plugging an insertion opening into which the male connector is to be inserted. The opening plug is provided with a valve in which a valve body is pushed by the male connector and opened when the male connector is inserted into the insertion opening, and in a case where the male connector is pulled out from the insertion opening, the valve body closes by making contact with the male connector.